The capture of Cléopâtre was the first major French warship taken by Britain in the French Revolutionary Wars, making Captain Pellew a national hero.
Key Facts
- Date
- 18 June 1793
- Duration of engagement
- 50 minutes
- French casualties
- 63
- British casualties
- 50
- British commander
- Captain Edward Pellew, HMS Nymphe
- French commander
- Captain Jean Mullon, Cléopâtre (mortally wounded)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
French frigates Cléopâtre and Sémillante had been raiding British merchant shipping in the English Channel and Eastern Atlantic from Cherbourg. Britain dispatched HMS Nymphe and HMS Venus to intercept them, though an earlier engagement between Venus and Sémillante off Cape Finisterre on 27 May proved inconclusive.
On 18 June 1793, HMS Nymphe under Captain Edward Pellew encountered Cléopâtre off Start Point, Devon. After a chase, Captain Mullon turned to fight. At 06:15 both frigates exchanged broadsides in a 50-minute battle. The British crew boarded Cléopâtre at 07:10 and hauled down the tricolour, capturing the vessel.
Captain Mullon died of his wounds, and France lost 63 men to Britain's 50. Pellew returned to Britain with Cléopâtre as a prize — the first major French warship captured in the conflict — and was celebrated as a hero, boosting British naval morale early in the War of the First Coalition.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Captain Edward Pellew.
Side B
1 belligerent
Captain Jean Mullon.